After a long fall of daddy daycare and as much single track mountain biking as possible I flew south for the Aconcagua season.

We had a small group of folks that continued to bond throughout the experience. Beyond a few snags and hickups along the way this was perhaps one of the smoothest trips I have ever led in Argentina. Part of this was the amazing weather, but more importantly it was the camaraderie and openness the entire team felt with each other. Without the mutual support none of the trip would have been possible.

The team was able to summit on February 1 in perfect weather, and with one hundred of our closest friends. Our summit day was supposedly the last good weather window in a few days, so as per herd mentality there were a ton of climbers headed up.

The team was able to enjoy many libations not only in basecamp, but at Ayelen and Mendoza

Again, great group of climbers and look forward to seeing them on other peaks in the future!

This year has been a whirlwind of movement, great sorrow, and great happiness.

It all started with a move from Michigan to Washington. News of an unborn child quickly followed, making us think “are were old enough to be responsible another human being?” In order to prepare and quench our need for a dog we somehow re-homed an amazing Australian Shepard named Stormy for approximately zero dollars.

The summer led to another season of work here in the Cascades, a dream trip to Bolivia, Russia, and rounded out with a successful trip to Mongolia. Returning home I walked into a storm of logistical and emotional toil. My father in law had come out to visit and to help with the arrival of his first grandchild. In the process he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. We kept a good attitude and were lucky for the amazing medical community in the Puget Sound area. Our son, Jack, arrived in September. Although we had planned for a birthing center, we ended up in the hospital with epidurals and an emergency cesarian. We had left the gender a mystery, so when we heard those first cries we waited eagerly for the news.

Jack and his grandfather were able to meet and entertain each other for a month before the legendary Bob Proudman passed. I feel fortunate that both Katie and I were able to see him the night before he passed and he met his grandson. We made our way back to West Virginia for a heavily attended ceremony. Jack is barely 3 months old hand has two cross country flights under his belt.

Bob, or “Bobe” as the folks on the Appalachian Trail called him, was a legend and mentor for numerous generations of trail crew workers. We got along better than most due to his early climbing career in the NE. Few bonds compare to those formed in the mountains under extreme circumstances, and we shared that understanding. More about his life can be read here:

This isn’t meant to be a sob story, rather a testament to my partner Katie, whom though it all has been a rock. Not sure if either one of us could have gone through all of this without each other. I guess this is what growing up entails.

I was asked to lead a trip to Mongolia, specifically to the far western area of Altai Tavan Bogd, to climb Mount Khuiten. Also known as "cold mountain" in Mongolian, this is the highest peak in the country and is literally so close to the borders of China and Russia you can smell the vodka and bi-jo.

The journey started in Ulaanbataar, a thriving metropolis of over 1.3 million people and probably an equal number of Toyota Prius. Home to almost half of the entire population of Mongolia this city has high rises, great restaurants, and one of the largest out door markets I have seen.

Our next destination was Bayan Olgii, a town on the far western border of Mongolia. In fact this area is predominantly Muslim Kazakhs. It is a completely different culture than the rest of Mongolia, representing a mere 4.5% of the countries population. Unfortunately our flight to Olgii was delayed for a day due to "weather," however in the interest of time we hopped on a flight to Khvod instead. The 200 km from Khvod to Olgii took us about 6.5 hours in the back of a Soviet era UAZ-452. These vehicles are tough as nails regardless of their antiquated bread loaf design. Four hours of sleep in Olgii and then off again over dusty bumpy roads to the park entrance at White River. All in all it was a marathon 18+ hour journey just to the start of our climb! To me, this type of flexibility and determination are what really make an expedition like this feel real. Just to climb one peak it took days of travel there and back....dedication. I also have to praise the good company and understanding of our climbing team, they weathered a lot on this trip and were rewarded with some great experiences.

From the park entrance we utilized camel support to our basecamp near the lower Potanin Glacier. The next few days consisted of an acclimatization trek up Malchin Peak (13,287ft) and moving to high camp (12,139ft). We had planned to climb our main objective, Mount Khuiten, the next day but woke up to a ferocious ground blizzard that had us pulling our sleeping bags over our heads. Luckily the weather broke and we were able to squeeze in an ascent of Nariamdal or "Friendship" Peak (13,392ft). Just to clarify, this was Nariamdal 1, which stands directly on the border of Russian, Mongolia, and China. Evidently there are 6 Nariamdals...and actually Mount Khuiten used to be named that as well. Very very confusing area in terms of naming by Mongols, Kazakhs, and Russians....many discrepancies.

Waiting out the bad weather gave way to a crystal clear summit day. From high camp it took our team about 3 hours to summit and 5.5 hours roundtrip to high camp. After a quick reprieve we descended the long flat Potanin Glacier to basecamp. In fact we even saw a herd of horses on the glacier, something not even our local guides Baku and Kada had seen before.

The return trip to Olgii was a bit more comfortable. Strangely my aunt-in-law, Jennifer Post, happened to be in Olgii at the same time doing research. She has been spending the last 15 years in the area recording local music and its relationship to the environment. After a performance by a local Kazakh "pop group" she explained more about the musical traditions to our team.

All in all this was one of the most unforgettable trips and groups of climbers I have had the pleasure to lead. Many new friends that I hope to see again soon. The marathon travel isn't quite over yet though. One more trip to lead in Russia before I am back home and on the daddy daycare regime!